The problem with currency devaluation is that it leads to currency erosion. This means that the purchasing power of a country's currency decreases, as well as the value of its assets. For example, if you have $100 in savings and the inflation rate is 2%, then your $100 is only worth $98 in purchasing power the next year. Gold, on the other hand, tends to hold its value or increase in value during periods of currency devaluation.
If a currency is experiencing great rates of currency erosion, investing in gold can act as a hedge against this depreciation. When investors buy gold, they are betting that the price will rise because of demand created by currency depreciation elsewhere in the world. Investors can also use gold for hedging purposes when trading currency pairs that have volatile exchange rates. If an investor owns stocks denominated in one currency but conducts business in another, he or she may want to purchase gold from the first currency to mitigate currency risk.
Purchasing physical bullion coins like American Eagles and Canadian Maple Leafs are also good ways for people who invest for protection from currency erosion.
Physical gold coins offer the opportunity to trade them at any time and place, which is important when exchanging currencies. Most importantly, owning gold helps protect someone's wealth against times of economic turmoil such as wars, major natural disasters, or political unrest. These events typically cause an immediate collapse in the affected countries' currencies and subsequently lead to skyrocketing prices.
Gold acts as a kind of insurance policy against these unfortunate events; you should always be prepared for the worst-case scenario. It’s important to note that many banks and brokers offer insured storage for their clients.
In most cases, these storage facilities keep bullion reserves stored in safety deposit boxes located within their vaults. Therefore, even if there was a fire or some other disaster at the broker’s office where your investments were being kept, you would still own your holdings.